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Photolog of Macarons & Recipe

This is what I've been busy baking for the past two months. I've been so busy baking and taking photos of these beauties (and eating them) that I've nearly forgotten to blog about them. If you want "live" updates check out my twitter feed @beyondumami. So here's a post that will be predominantly photos!

Recipe for the macarons are at the end of the post. Enjoy!! Some of these were my first attempts at specific variations/recipes.

I found these bowls from Anthropologie on sale (&lt; $3/bowl)!!
I thought they complemented my Pistachio Vanilla Buttercream Macarons.

First attempt at a crunchy mocha macaron with vanilla buttercream topped with cocoa nibs.
Recipe from Desir et Moi from this macaron video.

Second attempt at Pistachio Macarons - I might have over baked these a tad.

Strawberry Macaron - I had trouble with the colouring the macaron shells as I used a strawberry purée.
The shells cracked and wrinkled as my proportions were not correct.

A friend of mine gave me macarons from Thierry in Vancouver which had
pieces of fruit in the middle. I tried to recreate this experience in my Grand Macarons.

I really like the colour contrast of the blackberry and raspberry but these macarons had to be
eaten right away as they got soggy really quickly!

My favourite picture! My Christmas edition of Macarons: Salted Caramel, Gingerbread with Chocolate Ganache, 'Pistacchio-coloured' Macaron with hazelnut chocolate ganache. Sadly, this did not
make it to Seasons &amp; Holidays mactweets in time.

My latest macaron obsession: Salted Caramel! For the filling:
I use a regular caramel recipe and sprinkle salt on top before closing.

Pyramid of Salted Caramel Macarons

This is a technique I use for piping fillings. It's very easy to use and keeps your piping bag clean!

Once mixture feels and looks like magma (flows slowly) put into piping bag

Pipe out small circles

Firmly rap tray on floor or counter to get rid of any air bubbles inside the shells

Use a toothpick to pop air bubbles on shells

Let macarons sit for 30-40 minutes until a skin forms and is dry to touch

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit

Put one tray in the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 300F

I rotate the tray to get even baking on all shells (By now the feet should have formed!)

Bring temperature down to 295F and prop oven door open with wooden spatula and continue to bake for an extra 15 minutes

Take out of oven, allow macarons to cool.

Peel from mat, and fill with desired filling.

Notes

Oven temperature may range from anywhere 290 to 300 depending on your oven. Best practice is to pipe a few macarons and test at various temperatures and times in the oven.

I discovered that it's optimal to not have more than 20 large macaron shells (or 30 medium shells) on a single tray.

Use a thick and heavy-weight baking tray for optimal results.

Until recently, I was baking macarons at 295F for a total of 14 minutes, rotating at 7 minutes. But, I've discovered that this is not enough baking time for my macarons in my oven in my kitchen environment (your results may vary and thus it's important to experiment and take good notes! Charts help!)

@wannafoodie: Great! Glad you enjoyed the post! The post was getting a tad long so I didn't post the recipes for the fillings yet. Look out for a salted caramel one, hazelnut-chocolate ganche, berry ganache & more!